Outdoor wireless modem and signal processing method thereof

ABSTRACT

Disclosure herein is related to an outdoor wireless modem and a signal processing method thereof. The outdoor wireless modem is particularly disposed in the midst of and bridging a local-area network and a wide-area network established by a mobile communication network. One of the objectives of the invention is to provide a solution replacing the present last mile connection. According to one of the embodiments, main circuit of the outdoor wireless modem includes a radio-frequency module and a baseband module. The baseband module includes at least two processing circuits for respectively processing the signals over the mobile communication network and the packets over the local-area network. The processing circuits are packaged into one module according to the design. Further in one embodiment, a bandwidth integration unit is introduced to the modem. The bandwidth integration unit serves to achieve load balance and bandwidth integration.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/872,107, entitled “OUTDOOR WIRELESS MODEM AND SIGNAL PROCESSINGMETHOD THEREOF,” filed Apr. 27, 2013, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an outdoor wireless modem and a signalprocessing method, in particular, to the outdoor wireless modem having afirst processor rendering mobile communication over a backbone networkand a second processor handling the packets over a local-area network.

2. Description of Related Art

Home-installed network modem serves the well-known way allowing theconsumer to connect to Internet. For example, an ADSL (AsymmetricDigital Subscriber Line) is provided with the modem for connecting toInternet over a telecommunication room. The so-called “last mileconnection” means a connection established from the exchange oftelecommunication operator to the client-end modem. This kind of networkbackbone or the “last mile” connection is over a cable network.

The mentioned client-end modem is preferably a network device installedat indoor room. The modem is served to convert the network data over thelast mile connection to the digital signals for the consumer facility.Alternatively, the modem also converts data from the client's computerto the analogic signals over the cable. The analogic signals aretransferred to a destination through the telecommunication operator. Ingeneral, the network modem serves to establish connection to externaldevice over an RJ-11 standard cable; further use RJ-45 standard cable torender a local-area network for the end users.

Reference is made to FIG. 1 which illustrates a schematic diagram of aconventional modem.

A telecommunication room 10 and some terminal devices at home 14 areshown. The terminal devices are such as the shown computer devices 141,143, for example the mobile devices and computers. The computer devices141, 143 are capable of network connection. Via a network sharing device147, the devices 141, 143 are allowed to connect with a network modem145. Further, via the network modem 145, the devices 141, 143 connect toInternet 12 through the telecommunication room 10. In practice, over atelephone cable, the so-called “last mile”, the network modem 145 athome 14 is connected to the telecommunication room 10.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional wireless modem. Ashown indoor wireless modem is provided to internally integrate an LTE(Long Term Evolution, the fourth generation mobile communication) moduleand a wireless local-area network, for example the WiFi™.

The wireless modem 20 is preferably a network device capable of packetrouting. As shown in the diagram, a packet routing circuit 201 isprovided to process the signals between the LTE module 203 and WiFimodule 205. According to the information of source and destinationcarried in the packet, the modem 20 conducts the packet routing.

The LTE module 203 and the WiFi module 205 are two separate wirelesssignal circuits in compliance with different communication protocols.This LTE module 203 is enabled to receive or transmit the signals overfourth generation mobile communication network, such as LTE over an LTEantenna 204. The LTE communication protocol is one of the solutions toimplement the mobile communication network. Further, the WiFi module 205conducts receiving or transmitting the wireless network signals over aWiFi antenna 206. Compared to the LTE protocol, the WiFi communicationtechnology is suitable to serve the local area network.

The wireless modem 20 is used to handle signaling over the two differentcommunication protocols by a packet routing circuit 201. Specifically,it's easily to make electric interference since two or more radioprocessing circuits are simultaneously installed into this device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosure is related to an outdoor wireless modem and a signal processmethod thereof. One major objective is to provide a wireless modeminstalled over a local-area network and a wide-area network backboneover a mobile communication network. The aspect of the present inventionprovides a solution to replace the traditional wired network whichconstitutes the “Last Mile” connection to the network backbone. Theinvention allows a user to get on Internet using his device connected tothe local-area network through the mobile communication network.

In accordance with the present invention, one of the objectives of theoutdoor wireless modem is to bridge a wide-area network backbone and alocal-area network. The major circuit of the outdoor wireless modemincludes a radio-frequency (RF) module and a baseband module. Theradio-frequency module is responsible to receive external wirelesssignals or transmit the signals by the radio-frequency module to themobile communication network via an antenna. It is preferred that theantenna may be a directional antenna or an array antenna. The basebandmodule includes at least two processing units that respectively processthe signals over the mobile communication network and the local-areanetwork. In practice, the two circuit units are packaged into onemodule.

According to one of the embodiments, the processing circuits in thebaseband module include a first processing unit and a second processingunit. The first processing unit is as a processor used to process thesignals externally over the mobile communication network. The firstprocessing unit receives the data packets of local-area network sentfrom the second processing unit. The first processing unit converts thepackets to the signals suitably over the mobile communication network.The baseband module is connected with a local-area network interfacingmodule that is as the ports for forwarding the packets over the network.

The first processing unit is primarily used to handle the wirelessnetwork signals processed by the radio-frequency module, especially thesignals over the fourth mobile communication network. The secondprocessing unit, besides the data packets over the local-area network,is as the processor for operating the operating system of the wholemodem system.

The embodiment of the method applied to the outdoor wireless modemincludes receiving the wireless signals, for example the mobilecommunication signals, via an antenna, and the baseband module carryingthe signals after preprocess made by the radio-frequency module.

The baseband module is responsible to perform the conversion of thereceived wireless signals. In which, the first processing unit conductsthe signal conversion in compliance with a specific wirelesscommunication protocol. After that, the operating system of the outdoorwireless modem performs analog-to-digital conversion, for example it'sto convert the electric signals from the radio waves to the digitalsignals. The second processing unit then converts the signals to thedata packets delivered over the LAN.

In one more embodiment, the outdoor wireless modem is a main device thatincludes a bandwidth integration unit for linking with the other oneoutdoor wireless modem. The bandwidth integration unit is used todispense the data forwarded to the two different outdoor wireless modemsas receiving the data packets from the local-area network. The bandwidthintegration unit achieves load balance. Further, if the modem receivesthe signals transmitted from a remote device over the mobilecommunication network, the signals will be received by the outdoorwireless modems, the bandwidth integration unit may reassemble thesignals for the purpose of bandwidth integration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram in use of a conventional modem;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a wireless modem in a conventionaltechnology;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of using an outdoorwireless modem in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows one of the circuit blocks describing the outdoor wirelessmodem in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a second example of the circuit block describing theoutdoor wireless modem in one further embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 shows a third example of the circuit block of the outdoorwireless modem in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a fourth example of the circuit block of the outdoorwireless modem in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart illustrating the signal processing method forthe outdoor wireless modem in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows one more flow chart illustrating the signal processingmethod for the outdoor wireless modem in one further embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The “Last Mile connection” defines the network segment between thetelecommunication room of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and thenetwork made by home telephone line. The connection of the “Last Mile”is built especially by cable or optical fiber. When the fourthgeneration mobile communication technology comes, the network backboneis possible to be built by this mobile communication network. Theoutdoor wireless modem and the related signal processing method of thepresent invention are disclosed.

The outdoor wireless modem renders a solution of bridging the mobilecommunication network and the local-area network. This modem device, inan exemplary example, includes a first processor for processing thewireless signals over the mobile communication network and the othersecond processor for processing the data over the local-area network.The modem also facilitates bandwidth integration through the sameframework.

The outdoor wireless modem and the related signal processing methodintroduces a simplified framework for easily operating maintenance andreplacement of internal circuit module. The simplification of frameworkis able to reduce probability of failure, and effectively prevent signalinterference.

Reference is made to FIG. 3 describing one of the embodiments of theoutdoor wireless modem according to the present invention.

The outdoor wireless modem 30 is such as a gateway device preferablydesigned to be installed at outside of the building 34, but also insidein some embodiments. The gateway device is used to bridge the local-areanetwork and external wireless network. As shown in the diagram, in thebuilding 34, a network sharing device 341 such as a router is providedfor sharing network connections to the internal devices and thereforeestablishing a local-area network. The network sharing device 341 allowsforwarding signals generated by the network-connected computer devices343, 345 in the LAN to outside; on the contrary, the external signalscan be converted and forwarded by the network sharing device 341 to thelocal-area network.

Inside the outdoor wireless modem 30, a connector such as RJ-45 standardnetwork connector is prepared. The modem 30 is connected with thenetwork sharing device 341 via the RJ-45 cable. This network sharingdevice 341 is used to manage the connections of the computer devices343, 345, and also served as a gateway to the external network. Inpractice, a network sharing mechanism is made by this network sharingdevice 341 for the computer devices 343, 345, especially the computerdevices 343, 345 is allowed to wired or wirelessly link the externalnetwork through the outdoor wireless modem 30.

The outdoor wireless modem 30 establishes a connection to the wirelessstation 32 over a wireless communication. It is preferred that thefourth generation mobile communication technology such as LTE or WiMAX(Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is introduced toestablishing the connection. Via the wireless station 32, the modem 30is connected to the network backbone which is established over thefourth generation communication technology. In the shown example, thenetwork framework allows the end user to surf Internet over a wirelessbackbone network 36, therefore the wireless communication technologyreplaces the traditional scheme of Last mile connection.

Reference is made to FIG. 3 describing one embodiment of

the present invention. The computer devices 343, 345 set up in thelocal-area network in the building 34 are connected to the wirelessbackbone network 36 via the shown network sharing device 341, outdoorwireless modem 30, and wireless station 32. The wireless backbonenetwork 36 is especially constituted by the wireless communicationtechnology. In one further embodiment, the embodiment implementing thelocal-area network may not be limited to the shown type, but may beimplemented by the various types of network frameworks. Moreparticularly, the outdoor wireless modem 30 is functioned to be agateway or/and router for serving a specific local-area network linkedto the wireless backbone network 36.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the circuit blocks implementing one of theembodiments of the outdoor wireless modem.

In an exemplary embodiment, the main circuits of the outdoor wirelessmodem 40 include a radio-frequency (RF) module 401 and a baseband module403. The radio-frequency module 401 connects to an antenna 402, by whichreceiving the external wireless signals or transmitting the mobilecommunication signals via the radio-frequency module 401.

The baseband module 403 handles the signals and the relatedencoding/decoding procedure under a specified wireless communicationprotocol. The baseband module 403 creates a communication channel, andfilters out the signals not under the supported wireless communicationprotocol. According to one of the embodiments of the present invention,the baseband module is enabled to convert the signals from thelocal-area network to the wireless communication signals, furthermodulate the carrier waves with specified frequency in accordance withthe supported communication protocol. The signals are then sent via theantenna. The antenna is preferably a directional antenna or arrayantenna. It is worth noting that the signal frequency for the basebandmodule can be changed by the modulation technology, in which the relatedparameters such as amplitude, frequency, and phase are modulated asrequired.

In the current example, the baseband module 403 includes at least twoprocessing units which respectively process the signals over the mobilecommunication network and the data packets over the local-area network.The circuits of the two processing units are packaged in one package.For example, the units are shown as a first processing unit 41 and asecond processing unit 42. The first processing unit 41 also has a firstbuffer 43 which is for buffering the wireless signals exchanged with thesecond processing unit 42. The second processing unit 42 has a secondbuffer 44 which is for use of signal buffer.

Furthermore, the baseband module 403 is connected to a local-areanetwork interfacing module 405 over an inner connection. This local-areanetwork interfacing module 405 is exemplarily a circuit module ofPhysical Layer which is in charge of port management and packetsforwarding for the local-area network. The outdoor wireless modem 40 isconnected to the local-area network 408 via this local-area networkinterfacing module 405. For example, the local-area network interfacingmodule 405 serves RJ-45 standard cables for the devices in thelocal-area network 408. Further, the cable format of RJ-11 or HomePlugcable may also implement the wired connections.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the embodiment of the presentinvention. The outdoor wireless modem 40 connects to the external mobilecommunication network via the antenna 402, and to the local-area networkvia the local-area network interfacing module 405. The radio-frequencymodule 401 conducts the fourth mobile communication protocol toconstitute a wide-area wireless backbone network. An RF transmitter (notshown) and an RF receiver (not shown) are included in theradio-frequency module 401. The radio-frequency module 401 is designedto filter out the signals other than the supported communicationprotocol(s) for the following modulating tasks. The radio-frequencymodule 401 conducts the transmittal with the corresponding antenna 402.

The baseband module 403 is electrically connected to the radio-frequencymodule 401. The baseband module 403 is one of the circuits of theoutdoor wireless modem 40 and used to process the signals over theradio-frequency module 401. The baseband module 403 is also the circuitfor bridging the local-area network interfacing module 405 and theradio-frequency module 401. Over an uplink route, the packets from thelocal-area network are converted to the signals delivered over thewireless network which corresponding communication protocol.Alternatively, over a downlink route, the signals over the wirelessnetwork are converted to the data packets sent over the local-areanetwork.

The first processing unit 41 is primarily used to conduct the wirelesssignals, such as fourth generation mobile communication network, to theradio-frequency module 401. The first processing unit 41 also performsmodulation and signal encoding/decoding with the corresponding mobilecommunication protocol. The first processing unit 41 further controlsthe operation of the radio-frequency module 401 in order to conduct thesignal transmission. For the modulation, the baseband module 403 is usedto modulate the frequency of the signals, including applying theamplitude, frequency, or/and phase over the supported mobilecommunication protocol. A first buffer 43 for buffering the signals isincluded in the first processing unit 41.

When the first processing unit 41 performs conversion of the wirelessnetwork signals, for example the analog radio waves via the antenna 402.To co-operate with operating system of the outdoor wireless modem 40,the first processing unit 41 performs the conversion of the radio wavesinto the digital signals over the local-area network. The secondprocessing unit 42 is such as a data processor of the outdoor wirelessmodem 40. When booting the outdoor wireless modem 40, the secondprocessing unit 42 is as the processor executing the operating system,and handling the instructions and signals made by the operating system.This outdoor wireless modem 40 uses this second processing unit 42 tooperate the local-area network.

Reference is made to FIG. 5 showing a diagram with the circuit blocksillustrating the outdoor wireless modem of the present invention. Theoutdoor wireless modem 40 is disposed with a radio-frequency module 401,a baseband module 403, and an operating system 407 for operating themodem. In which the baseband module 403 is used to bridge theradio-frequency module 401 and the circuit of a local-area networkinterfacing module 405. That is, the baseband module 403 conducts thedata packets over the local-area network 408 and also the wireless radiosignals over the external wireless network via antenna 402.

In the current example, the programs of the operating system 407 arestored in the memory of the modem 40. As initiating the outdoor wirelessmodem 40, the operating system 407 is activated for operating the modem40. The operating system 407 also initiates applications for renderingsome functions for the modem 40, for example the operations includingsignal conversion, packets routing, circuit control, and the like.

FIG. 6 shows a circuit block illustrating the outdoor wireless modem inone further embodiment of the present invention.

The main circuits of the outdoor wireless modem 60 has a antenna 62 forbridging the external wireless network. The modem 60 includes aradio-frequency module 601 for processing the signals under a format ofthe fourth generation mobile communication protocol. Thisradio-frequency module 601 is electrically connected to a basebandmodule 603. The baseband module 603 includes a first processing unit 631and a second processing unit 632. Further, the outdoor wireless modem 60has a memory for storing the programs of operating system 605 and someother software. The operating system 605 can be activated while themodem 60 boots up. The booting procedure may simultaneously initialize acommunication identification module 607 and a local-area networkinterfacing module 609 which renders a connecting interface forsignaling the local-area network 64.

The described outdoor wireless modem 60 is as a main device allowing thelocal devices bridging the fourth generation mobile communicationnetwork. According to the current technology, the modem 60 may have acommunication identification module 607 which is used to identify thesubscriber, such as the known subscriber identity module (SIM) adoptedby the mobile device. The communication identification module 607 iselectrically connected to the processor of the modem 60. Thecommunication identification module 607 is actually a smart cardincluding a microprocessor and a memory. This smart card is capable ofrecoding user data. The user data is for the mobile device to identifythe user who uses the mobile device. Further, the identified user datamay initiate the function of wireless communication of the modem. Theuser data may also be the basis to recognize the device when it roamsaround the different areas. When the user needs to get on Internet overthe mobile communication network, this identification module 607 is asan interface in charge of bridging the network. The outdoor wirelessmodem 60 of the present invention is required to load the communicationidentification module 607 as it initiates a connection to the mobilecommunication network. This module 607 allows the telecommunicationoperator to recognize the device and accordingly to provide thepermission to link network.

The operating system 605 will initialize a communication identificationmodule 607 as initiating the modem 60. The operating system 605 mayoperate this communication identification module 607 to convey therecorded subscriber's identification to an Internet service provider(ISP) such as the telecommunication company. After identifying andauthenticating the subscriber on the modem 60 by this communicationidentification module 607, the communication function such as the fourthgeneration communication network for the modem 60 will be activated. Thecommunication identification module 607 according to one of theembodiments is as, but not limited to, the SIM (subscriber identitymodule) card for the ISP to identify the subscriber.

That means, the initializing process of the outdoor wireless modem 60includes initiating the wireless communication module having thebaseband module 603, radio-frequency module 601 and antenna 62. Theoperating system 605 simultaneously initiates the communicationidentification module 607 to retrieve the subscriber's information, andby which to authenticate the subscriber's privileges of use with theISP. After that, the outdoor wireless modem 60 is under a regularoperation.

In the present example, the baseband module 603 includes a firstprocessing unit 631 and a second processing unit 632 in one module. Thefirst processing unit 631 is used to process the wireless communicationsignals via the radio-frequency module 601, especially the signals underfourth generation communication protocol. While the operation system 605converts the wireless network signals to the data packets delivered overa local-area network, the second processing unit 632 then take over thepackets. The packets are then forwarded to the local-area networkinterfacing module 609 in order to deliver the packets over thelocal-area network 64, which is preferably established under an Ethernettype of local-area network.

In one further embodiment of the present invention, the outdoor wirelessmodem 60 renders a function of bandwidth integration. Reference is madeto FIG. 7 depicting one of the embodiments in the invention. The shownoutdoor wireless modem 60 is coupled to another one outdoor wirelessmodem 60′. This scheme allows the modem 60 simultaneously handling thedata packets of two or more different outdoor wireless modems 60, 60′for the purpose of bandwidth integration. The function facilitatesbandwidth integration or/and redundancy.

The embodiment shown in the diagram has two outdoor wireless modems 60,60′. The two local-area network interfacing modules 609, 609′respectively of the two modems 60, 60′ are interlinked over a local-areanetwork cable. For example, the cable may be an RJ-45 standard cable forinterlinking the two devices via their network connecting ports. Theoutdoor wireless modem 60 uses one more cable to connect the local-areanetwork 64. The linked two outdoor wireless modems 60, 60′ are able toreceive the external wireless signals. For the purpose of bandwidthintegration, one of the outdoor wireless modems (60 or 60′) in thisexample includes a bandwidth integration unit 70 capable of handling thesignals from two different sources. Vice versa, the data packets fromthe local-area network 64 are delivered to the outdoor wireless modem 60over the cable. The bandwidth integration unit 70 dispenses the packetsto two outdoor wireless modems 60, 60′ for achieving load balance.

The bandwidth integration unit 70 is electrically connected to thelocal-area network interfacing module 609 of the outdoor wireless modem60. This bandwidth integration unit 70 is able to conduct networkaddress translation (NAT). Since each of the two outdoor wireless modems60, 60′ has two different IP addresses respectively to external andinternal network, the bandwidth integration unit 70 is functioned toconduct IP forwarding that turns the packets in one source to differentIP addresses. On the other hand, the unit 70 turns the data fromdifferent IP addresses to one IP address. The bandwidth integration unit70 is activated or deactivated based on whether or not another oneoutdoor wireless modem 60′ is existed.

The bandwidth integration unit 70 achieves the mechanism of bandwidthintegration or said Link Aggregation. In one exemplary embodiment, theoperating system is used to perform a Link Aggregation Control Protocol(IEEE 802.1ax Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)) which combinesthe links with multiple Ethernet network ports. The bandwidthintegration unit 70 combines the data packets from the other outdoorwireless modem (60′) through the operating system 605 of the outdoorwireless modem 60 performing the Link Aggregation Control Protocol. Itis noted that the bandwidth integration unit operatively connects withtwo outdoor wireless modems (60, 60′) when two respective local-areanetwork interfacing modules (609, 609′) are interlined so as to combinethe data packets from the two outdoor wireless modems (60, 60′).

The Link Aggregation Control Protocol uses one of the lowest layersaccording to Open System Interconnection Reference Model to conduct thewidth integration. For example, the physical ports (Layer 1) arecombined, and the data link layer (Layer 2) integrates the bandwidth.The data link layer is such as the MAC address for identifying thenetwork port. The width integration may also be implemented over the IPaddress layer (Layer 3), or over protocol of Internetwork PacketExchange (IPX). Through one of the layers (L1, L2, L3) according to OSImodel, the loads over network may be balanced over multiple connections,or even achieve redundancy. The multiple connections may share one IPaddress or MAC address to the external network.

Further, the shown outdoor wireless modems 60, 60′ are similar devicesequipped with the same functions. The modems (60, 60′) respectivelyinclude antennas 62, 62′, radio-frequency modules 601, 601′ and basebandmodules 603, 603′, and each of the baseband modules 603, 603′ has twoprocessors such as the mentioned first processing unit and the secondprocessing unit. The modems (60, 60′) respectively includes operatingsystems 605, 605′, local-area network interfacing modules 609, 609′ andcommunication identification modules 607, 607′. One of or both themodems 60, 60′ includes the bandwidth integration unit 70. The modemhaving this bandwidth integration unit 70 plays a primary device, andthe other one is secondary. In the current example, the primary outdoorwireless modem 60 establishes a connection to the local-area network 64,and the outdoor wireless modem 60′ conducts load balance for the samesource.

While the two outdoor wireless modems 60, 60′ are combined, the twolocal-area network interfacing modules 609, 609′ are interlinked over acable, and the local-area network interfacing modules 609, 609′ areoriginally linked with the local-area network 64. The primary modem 60has the bandwidth integration unit 70, and which is the main devicebridging the local-area network 64. The mechanical design shows the twooutdoor wireless modems 60, 60′ are installed nearby and connected viatheir network connecting ports over a cable. The primary outdoorwireless modem 60 having the bandwidth integration unit 70 uses one morecable to make a link to the local-area network 64.

While the signals enter the modem 60 through the local-area networkinterfacing module 609 from the local-area network 64, the bandwidthintegration unit 70 processes the signals. For example, the bandwidthintegration unit 70 may resolve the data packets, reconfigure theheader, and divide the packets by a technology of time sharing for thetwo outdoor wireless modems 60, 60′ to send out the signals. The twomodems are configured to have the same destination address, and therelated packets may be re-combined at the destination.

If signals arrive from external wireless network due to the request sentfrom the internal device when the request signals have been sent to thesource via the two outdoor wireless modems 60, 60′, the related signalswill be received by two different modems 60, 60′. The signals from thesource should be processed and re-combined by the bandwidth integrationunit 70. Therefore, it increases the throughput of network traffic.

Reference is made to FIG. 8 describing the flow of method for downlinksignals according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In step S801, the outdoor wireless modem receives wireless signals viaantenna. In particular, the present invention implements thecommunication over the fourth generation mobile communication network.The radio-frequency module of the outdoor wireless modem handles thenetwork signals, and loads to the baseband module, such as step S803.

The baseband module of the outdoor wireless modem includes a firstprocessing unit and a second processing unit. Step S805 shows thebaseband module converts the wireless signals into electric signals asreceiving the radio waves. The first processing unit then receives thesignals, as step S807, performs signal conversion under a correspondingwireless communication protocol, as step S809.

The outdoor wireless modem is installed with an operating system, whichis used to maintain operation of the whole system and signal processing.Such as the step S811, the operating system performs analog-to-digitalconversion that converts the electric signals made by radio waves todigital signals. The second processing unit is then responsible forconverting the signals to the data packets delivered over the local-areanetwork (step S813).

For example, while the data packets loaded to the local-area networkinterfacing module, such as step S815, the data packets will bedelivered to the other devices linked with the outdoor wireless modem.The device may be a network sharing device disposed within thelocal-area network, or any other standalone electronic device.

If in one embodiment that two or more outdoor wireless modems arecombined, such as step S817, the operating system may firstly acquirethe port information of another port for the link combination. Thebandwidth integration circuit may then process the signals byintegrating the data packets made by the different outdoor wirelessmodems. For example, the above-mentioned Link Aggregation ControlProtocol (LACP) is applied to the scheme of bandwidth integration of thepresent invention for integrating the packets from the differentdevices, such as step S819. In step S821, in response to the informationof data packets, the packets are dispensed to the devices within thelocal-area network.

The flow chart shown in FIG. 9 describes a uplink process of the outdoorwireless modem in accordance with the present invention. In a first stepS901, the outdoor wireless modem connected with the local-area network,or the device combined with the other one outdoor wireless modemreceives data sent from a terminal device over the local-area network.

To the embodiment of combining the two outdoor wireless modems, abandwidth integration unit of the outdoor wireless modem connected withthe local-area network, other like circuit, or the software-basedsolution is used to determine the roles of primary or secondary modemaccording to the port information of the interlinked ports. The step isreferred to step S903.

Next, in step S905, reference is made to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.Over the signaling uplink route, the primary outdoor wireless modemfirstly receives the data packets from the local-area network. Thebandwidth integration unit, electrically connected with the local-areanetwork interfacing module, then dispenses the data bit-by-bit by atime-sharing scheme. The data is sequentially sent to the two secondprocessing units of the two outdoor wireless modems. In which, the datais delivered over the connection between the two modems, and sent to thesecondary outdoor wireless modem via the local-area network interfacingmodule thereof. The operating system of each modem performs thedigital-to-analog conversion, such as step S907. The converted signalsare then loaded to the first processing unit. This first processing unitperforms the signal conversion in compliance with a correspondingwireless communication protocol, such as step S909. In step S911, thesignals are converted to the radio signals.

While the signals are converted to the signal format in compliance witha specific mobile communication protocol, such as step S913, the signalsare sent via an antenna by the radio-frequency module of the outdoorwireless modem, such as step S915.

Over the downlink route, both the primary and secondary outdoor wirelessmodems respectively receive the wireless signals from a signal source.Via their own radio-frequency module, the modems receive the signalsover the mobile communication network. The modems accordingly performthe signal conversion. The operating system of each modem performsanalog-to-digital conversion. The baseband module then converts thesignals to the data packets delivered over the local-area network. Inresponse to the header information, the bandwidth integration unitre-combines the packets as to the original data. Therefore, bandwidthintegration is accomplished.

It is noted that the outdoor wireless modem preferably adopts the fourthgeneration mobile communication system such as LTE (Long Term Evolution)to provide the wireless network service. The mentioned functionalitiesmay be implemented by a set of circuits or software-based modules. Therelated circuits include the physical circuits for handling indoor orlocal signals over the local-area network, and the RF-related modulessuch as RF module and baseband module as the physical layer (PHY) forprocessing the outdoor wireless signals. In particular, the basebandmodule in accordance with the present invention includes two processorsrespectively in charge of separate jobs. For example, a first processingunit for processing the outdoor wireless signals, and a secondprocessing unit dealing with the packets over local-area network.

To sum up, the outdoor wireless modem is provided for bridging theindoor LAN and the outdoor wireless network. The modem is for the indooruser to get on the WAN over wireless-based backbone directly from hiscomputer equipment. This modem is in charge of routing the packetsbetween the local-area network and wide-area network. The two processorsin the baseband circuit are respectively processing the wireless networksignals and the LAN packets. The embedded operating system conducts thesignal conversion and the packet routing. Through the simplified designof the outdoor wireless modem, it's effectively eliminating the signalinterference and reducing the possibility of failures. Therefore, thismodem device is suitably disposed outdoor. Furthermore, a bandwidthintegration unit is installed in the outdoor wireless modem. Through thebandwidth integration unit, the system achieves load balance or/andbandwidth integration by performing packet division or combination.

It is intended that the specification and depicted embodiment beconsidered exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the inventionbeing indicated by the broad meaning of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An outdoor wireless modem, used to bridge awide-area network backbone and a local-area network, comprising: aradio-frequency module, receiving or transmitting signals over a mobilecommunication network via an antenna, and the mobile communicationnetwork constituting the wide-area network backbone; a baseband module,electrically connected with the radio-frequency module, installed withat least two processing circuits respectively processing signals overthe mobile communication network and the data packets over thelocal-area network; a local-area network interfacing module,electrically connected with the baseband module, installed with a portconnected to the local-area network for forwarding the data packets overthe local-area network; and a bandwidth integration unit, electricallyconnected to the local-area network interfacing module, and the outdoorwireless modem connects to another local-area network interfacing moduleof another outdoor wireless modem via the another local-area networkinterfacing module; wherein the bandwidth integration unit operativelyconnects with the two outdoor wireless modems when two respectivelocal-area network interfacing modules are interlinked so as to combinethe data packets from the two outdoor wireless modems by an operatingsystem of one of the outdoor wireless modems in compliance with a LinkAggregation Control Protocol.
 2. The outdoor wireless modem according toclaim 1, wherein the at least two processing circuits includes a firstprocessing unit and a second processing unit packaged into one module,and further a first buffer for buffering data of the first processingunit and a second buffer for buffering data of the second processingunit; wherein the first processing unit is used to process signals overthe fourth generation mobile communication network by theradio-frequency module, including signal modulation anddecoding/encoding for the signals; the second processing unit is aprocessor to operate the operating system of the outdoor wireless modem,and to process the data packets transmitted over the local-area network.3. The outdoor wireless modem according to claim 1, further comprisingconnected to an indoor bandwidth sharing device, and to the outdoorwireless modem via the port interfacing the local-area networkinterfacing module.
 4. The outdoor wireless modem according to claim 1,wherein one of the outdoor wireless modems is identified as a primaryoutdoor wireless modem and the other one is identified as a secondaryoutdoor wireless modem; the local-area network interfacing module of theprimary outdoor wireless modem is used to connect with the local-areanetwork, and the bandwidth integration unit is installed in the primaryoutdoor wireless modem.
 5. The outdoor wireless modem according to claim1, wherein the port is a connecting port with a cable format of RJ-45 orwith standard of HomePlug cable.
 6. The outdoor wireless modem accordingto claim 1, further comprising a communication identification module,which is used to identify the outdoor wireless modem.
 7. A signalprocessing method adapted to one or more outdoor wireless modems,comprising: in one outdoor wireless modem, a radio-frequency modulereceiving wireless signals via an antenna, and a baseband modulecarrying the signals; a first processing unit in the baseband moduleperforming signal conversion in compliance with a wireless communicationprotocol; an operating system in the outdoor wireless modem performingan analog-to-digital conversion, and generating digital signals; asecond processing unit in the baseband module converting the digitalsignals into the signals delivered over a local-area network, and alocal-area network interfacing module carrying the signals; dispensingthe signals delivered over the local-area network to one or moredestinations; the local-area network interfacing module acquiring portinformation of the other outdoor wireless modem when the outdoorwireless modem is linked with one other outdoor wireless modem forperforming bandwidth integration; performing the bandwidth integration;wherein the outdoor wireless modem is installed with a bandwidthintegration unit, by the bandwidth integration unit the local-areanetwork interfacing module acquires the port information of the otheroutdoor wireless modem for bandwidth integration; and the bandwidthintegration unit operatively connects with two outdoor wireless modemswhen the two respective local-area network interfacing modules areinterlinked so as to combine the data packets from the two outdoorwireless modems by the operating system of one of the outdoor wirelessmodems in compliance with a Link Aggregation Control Protocol.
 8. Thesignal processing method according to claim 7, wherein the outdoorwireless modem activates function of processing wireless signals by acommunication identification module.
 9. The signal processing methodaccording to claim 7, wherein one of the outdoor wireless modems isidentified as a primary outdoor wireless modem and the other one isidentified as a secondary outdoor wireless modem; the local-area networkinterfacing module of the primary outdoor wireless modem is used toconnect with the local-area network, and the bandwidth integration unitis installed in the primary outdoor wireless modem.
 10. The signalprocessing method according to claim 9, wherein the each outdoorwireless modem uses its operating system to perform digital-to-analogconversion, which converts the data packets received from the local-areanetwork to the RF signals transmitted by each radio-frequency module ofthe each outdoor wireless modem over an uplink route.
 11. The signalprocessing method according to claim 9, wherein the each outdoorwireless modem uses its operating system to perform analog-to-digitalconversion, which converts the wireless signals received from the sourceto data packets, after the bandwidth integration, the local-area networkinterfacing module of the primary outdoor wireless modem transmits thedata packets over a downlink route.
 12. The signal processing methodaccording to claim 7, wherein the baseband module of each outdoorwireless modem includes at least two process circuits, respectivelyprocess the signals transmitted over the mobile communication networkand the data packets over the local-area network.